Martin County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Damian Llanes, 29, Xiomara Alfaro-Porto, 22 and Yovany Valera-Gonzalez, 19, following a traffic stop Wednesday night in the Golden Gate area of Stuart. The three were unable to explain why they had a number of burglary tools in plain view in the back seat of their rental vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

However, two of the the vehicle’s occupants later confessed to being in Martin County to commit burglaries, according to the sheriff’s office.

All were arrested and charged with possession of burglary tools.

According to a sheriff’s report, the group gave permission for detectives to review a cellphone. The detectives found a page on the phone that showed multiple marinas mapped out within Martin County.

Authorities say that marina burglaries and thefts of boat motors have been on the rise in recent weeks. Employees at marine businesses are urged to remain alert and activate all security systems.

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